Swimming appliance.



H. W. McLEOD.

SWIMMING APPLIANCE.

APPLIGATION FILED 001'. a, 1910.

'fatehted Jan.9, 1912.

3 SHEBTSBHBET 1.

H. W McLEOD. SWIMMING APPLIANOk APILIOATIOH FILED OUT. 3, 1910.

1,014,407. PatentedJaimQ, 1912. 1

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W .WM M

H. W. M LEOD.

SWIMMING AHLIANGE. uruouxon mum 001'. a, 1910.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

UNITED STATES OFFICE.

HARVEY W. MCLEOD, OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.

SWIMMING APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 3, 1910. Serial No. 584,962. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY \V. MoLEon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Quincy, county of Norfolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Swimming Appliances, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to a swimmin appliance adapted to be applied to the ho y of a swimmer and provided with a manuallyoperated propeller. I The object of the invention is to provide a novel device of this character which can be quickly applied and firmly secured to the body; to provide an arrangement whereby "the device will act also as a float to help buoy up the body without any tendency to turn the body over; and to otherwise improve devicesof this character, all as will c more fully hereinafter described and then pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein I have illustrated a selected embodiment of my invention which is sufiicient to disclose the principle thereof, Figure 1 is a side view of the device with a part shown in section; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 6-6, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view; Fig. 4 is a section on the line w-w, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a section on the line y-y, Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a detail fragmentary view showing the manner of locking the clamping wings in position;

Fig. 7 is :a section on the line aa, Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a view showing the manner in which the device is used.

My improved swimming appliance comprises a body portion designated generally by 3 which is adapted to be applied to the front of the swimmers body and which is provided with one or more manually-operated propellers. The propellers herein shown are in the form of screws 4, and I have shown two such propellers in the present embodiment of the invention. These screw propellers operate in parti-cylindrical chambers 5 formed on the underside of the body 3, and each propeller is secured. to a shaft 6 which extends longitudinally of the body and is journaled at one end in the front wall 7 that depends from the body, and at the other end in a spider 8 secured to the back end of the body."

The chambers 5 are both open on the under side and are closed on the upper side so that the lower half of'the screws or propellers Patented Jan. 9,1912.

casing 10 in which is received the gears for operating the shafts '6. This gear casing will preferably be made water-tight, so as to keep the gears therein dry and prevent them from corroding' It'may be formed from a casting or may be formed from sheet metal stamped or bent into shape. It is herein shown as secured to the front of the body 3 and the wall 7 of the body forms the rear end of the casing. The gear casing 10 supports 'a' driving shaft 11 which projects through the sides of. said casing and is provided with crank handles. 12 by whichit may be turned. Any suitable gear- .ing may be employed to communicate motion and power from the driving shaft ll to the propeller shafts 6. The gearing herein shown comprises a sprocket wheel 14 fast on the shaft 11 and connected by a sprocket chain 15 with a sprocket wheel 16 fast on a countershaft 17 that is journaled in suitable bearings 18 suitably. supported within the gear casing. This countershaft 17 has ,thereon two bevel gears 19 that mesh with bevel gears 13 fast on the ends of the shafts 6 which project through the wall 7 and into the gear casing. The bearings 18 are shown as having arms 20 extending therefrom which are provided at'their ends with hubs 21 through which the driving shaft 11 extends, this construction afi'ording not only an added support for the shaft 11, but also serving to hold thegearing more rigidly in position.

The wall 7. is provided with stufling boxes. 23 through which the shafts 6 extend, and which serve to preventany water leaking into the gear casing around said shafts.

The body 3 may conveniently be made of sheet metal stamped into shape and the spaces 24 between said body and the walls of the cylindrical'chambers 5 constitutealr spaces which make the appliance buoyant.

To secure the device to the swimmers body, I have provided combined floats and clamping members, that is, members which are adapted to partially encircle the body and clamp the device thereto and which are hollow so as to constitute floats. These members are shown at 27' and may conveniently be made of, sheet metal pressed into the desired shape and formed with the air spaces 28, .or may be made with any other material provided they areso constructed as toJconstit-n'te air chambers. I will prefer- 1- ably make a'portion at least of the interior faces of said members 27 of flexible material, as shown at 29, sothat when the device is in position these portions of flexible material form comparatively soft pads to enthe body. These wings 27 are hinged to the sides of the body 3 at 79 so that they ,canbrought into different positions to body. I have .l providedmeans for locking these wings in embrace :a large or a small 2 clamping member .32 which will preferably have ateeth adapted to .-engage the serrated face 33' of the corresponding locking arm 30. Each clamping member 32'ispr'ovided with a sternf34 which projects through the wall of thebhamber-3L and is connected to an arm 35 fast on a shaft36 that extends from "oneiside to the other of the body. and is provided on'the exterior of the body with a handle 37 by which it may be turned. When :i gthehandle 37 is swung downwardly, the

clamping members 32 are withdrawn from the arms 3Q and the two wings are free'to be swung outwardly' or inwardly about their pivots .-When the device has been ad- 40 jus'ted-to the body and the wings have been folded around the body, the operator will elevate the handle 37 and will thus bring-the clamping members 32 in clamping engagement' with the locking arms 30., thus locking the wings in their adjusted position. A suitable spring catch 39 may be employed to hold the handle 37 .in its adjusted position. I have arranged, the locking arms 30 so that they are situated in front of the'propellers and the shaft 36 is situated to extend across the body 3 in front of, the propellers. Where the-shaft extends. through the chamber 24 between the walls of the two chambers 5, I will provide a sleeve 40 through which the "shaft extends and which prevents any water leaking into the chamber 24 around the shaft. a l

The wings 27 are preferably made in two sections hinged together, at 41 and the two sections can beheld in alinement with each other, as shown in Fig. 5 by .any suitable catch device2. The purpose of making the wings in sections in this way is to permit them to be folded down against the body when the'fleviceistobe transported.

.I claim 'as new and desiretosecurei.bylaetative position.

When-the device is secured to the swing mers body, as showii'in Fig. 8, the 3.11 chambers of the wings come at the sides andabove the body, and although there is someb'uoyant power in the air in the chamber 24:, yet the larger extent of the air chamber is at the sides and top of the swimmers body so that there will be no tendency for the device to turn the swimmer over onto his.- back as would be the'case if all the buoyancy were inthe chamber 24s beneath the swimmers body.-

Having fully descri bed my invention, what ters Patent is y 1. In a swimming appliance, the combination with a'frame, of prop ller mechanism carried thereby, buoyant elamping win hinged to the frame; and adaptedto fold about and clamp the frame to the swim- 8'5 mers body, and a lock carried by the frame and acting to hold the wings locked positively in their adjusted posit-ion.

2. In asWimming. appliance, the combination with a frame, of propellermech'anism carried thereby, buoyant clamping wings hinged to the frame and adapted to fold about and clamp the frame to the swimmers body, each wing having an arm extending therefrom, and a clampin member: to engage each arm and thus positively lockthe wing in adjusted position. 1

3. In a swimming appliance, the combination'with a frame, of propeller mechanism 1 carried thereby, rigid buoyant clamping 0 wings hinged to the frame and adapted to fold about and clamp the frame to a swimmers body, and means cooperating with the wings near their pivots to hold the wings rigidly in clamping position 4. In a swimming appliance, the combination with a frame, of propeller mechanism carried thereby, buoyant clamping wings hinged to the frame and adapted to fold about'and elam'pythe frame to a swimmers body, a lock for each wing, and means to op-. erate both locks simultaneously.

5. In a swimming appliance, the combina-i tion with a frame, of propeller mechanism carried thereby, a two-part buoyant wing hinged.v toeach side of the frame, and a catch to hold the two parts of each wing in oper-- 6. In a swimming appliance, the combination with aframe, of propeller mechanism carried thereby, rigid buoyant .clamping wings hinged to the frame .and adapted to fold about and clamp the frame to the swim-' mers body, each wing having extending" therefrom a rigid curved arm' and the frame having recesses in whichsaid arms operate, and clamping members-to engage said arms and thus lock. positively the wings in adjusted position.

7. In a swimming appliance, the combine 1 30 tion with a frame, of propellermechanism carrled thereby, rigid buoyant clamping wings hinged .to the frame and adapted to fold about and clamp the frame to the swimmersbody, each wing. having extending therefrom a rigid curved arm and the frame having recesses in which said arms operate,

positively the wnigs'in adjusted clamping' members simultaneously.

' tion'with' a frame,-

carried thereby, rigid buoyantclamping 15- 8, In a sw mmmgafpliance, the combinao propeller mechanism -win hinged to, the frame and adapted to 1 fold about and clamp the frame tothe swimmers body, each wing having extending therefrom a rigid curved arm and the frame having'recesses in which said arms operate,

clampin members to engage said arms-and thus 10c positively the wings in adjusted position, a shaft to which both clamping members are connected, and-means for operating said shaft.

9. In a swimming appliance, the combination with a frame fornied on its underside with two parti-cylindrical chambers extending-longitudinally thereof, of a screw propeller in: each chamber, a water-tight casin at the front of. the frame, gearing therein connected to and operating the propellers, buoyant clamping wings hinged to the frame and adapted to fold about and clamp the frame to the swimmers body, and means carried by the frame and acting to justed position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

' Loms C. SMITH, THoMAsJ. DRUMMOND.

hold the wings rigidly locked in their ad-- HARVEY W. McLEOD. 

